CONNECT TO GOD
Your Mind
I am, just as you are, a unique, never-to-be-repeated event in this universe. Therefore, I have, just as you have, a unique, never-to-be-repeated role in this world – George Sheehan
‘Mind’ is used 95 times in The Holy Bible. In the original Greek – nous – it means the seat of reflective consciousness, comprising the faculties of perception and understanding, and those of feeling, judging and determining. The mind is the divine center of choice. Choices are long lasting and life changing. It is also where our thoughts reside. Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, our habits shape our character, and our character will determine our future.
Source: Success Guide, by Shane Idleman, issue 101, January 2001.
In the November 6, 2000 issue of U.S. News and World Report, entitled ‘How to Master the New Workplace, Career Guide 2001,’ the opening statement under the subtitle on page 56 is self-explanatory: The new workplace is risky, rugged, and rewarding. And guess what? You’re in charge! The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, emphasizes that point. Our environment at work is risky, rugged, and rewarding, and we are in charge. Paul writes:
“…be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).”
We are to resist being poured into the mold of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. ‘Be not conformed’ is only used again in 1 Peter 1:14. With our minds, we can understand God’s word, if we choose to. Understanding God’s Word requires readiness and an act of our will (attitude). There are two words in the original Greek language that best describe using our minds to understand:
Ginōskō – to allow oneself to learn, and
Manthanō – to understand learning.
Used together, they have a tri-fold meaning:
• to allow oneself to increase in knowledge,
• to learn by use and practice, and
• to allow understanding by an act of one’s will.
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple (Psalm 119:130).”
Your Body
The principle of isometrics is that you can build muscle by pushing firmly against an unyielding object. You can build character the same way. – Phyllis Haxton
This principle is true for the human body as well. ‘Body’ is referenced 173 times in The Holy Bible. In the original Greek – sōma – means the body as a whole, the instrument of life whether of man living (Matthew 6:22) or dead (Matthew 27:52). ‘Vessel’, has various meanings in the context of the English language. Specifically, as it relates to the human body, it is defined as a person regarded as a holder or receiver of a particular trait or quality. In the original Greek, skeuos, for the service of God (Acts 9:15), a chosen vessel (2 Timothy 2:21), an earthen vessel (2 Corinthians 4:7), the human frame (2 Corinthians 4:7 and 1 Thessalonians 4:4), and the subjects of divine mercy and wrath (Romans 9:22-23). It is used 193 times in The Holy Bible in both its singular and plural forms. We are vessels, used by God to carry out His will in the earth and on our respective jobs. For reasons He never explains, He chooses to work through ordinary people like us. He placed us in situations that ultimately unlock our compassion and creativity. He connects us with people who can open doors that we are not equipped or knowledgeable about how to open. He makes us a solution for wherever we go. Forming a vessel is a lifelong process. If the potter does not continually wet the clay, it becomes too hard to be worked. Therefore, allow God to ‘mold’ you into the vessel that He desires so that He can use you mightily!
“And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it (Jeremiah 18:4).”
We were bought with a price. Our “bodies” do not belong to us. The Scriptures says, “The EARTH is the LORD’S, and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein (Psalm 24:1).” Since we belong to Him, we are to use our bodies for His service. This is why the Lord repeatedly teaches us to flee from sexual sins. Sin requires us to use the body in a manner that is unfitting for kingdom use.
“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).”
The price paid was the blood of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). This has profound significance for the believer (1 Timothy 4:10 and 1 Peter 2:9) who has been called out of dark into His marvelous light.
Source: Give God the Glory! Called to be Light in the Workplace, 2003.
